Ten police forces join National Highways’ new safety camera trial

Ten police forces will be using the new kit, which is mounted to a vehicle or trailer and has multiple cameras giving differing views of the driver and their passengers. 

The National Highways trial first launched in 2021, when motorists spotted driving without seatbelts or on the phone by police using the technology were sent warning letters informing them of the dangers of their behaviour. 

Research shows that you are four times more likely to be in a crash if you use your phone while driving, and twice as likely to die in a crash if you don’t wear a seatbelt. 

In partnership with AECOM, the research is now being extended to work with more police forces to help learn more about how the technology could work on National Highways roads and inform a possible future roll-out nationwide. The latest trial began on 19 February and will run until March 2025. 

New technology 

There are plans for the technology to be fixed to gantries for the first time, giving an unobscured view of all lanes to capture footage of passing motorists.  

The images are then processed using artificial intelligence (AI) to establish whether motorists could be using a handheld mobile phone, or drivers may be without a seatbelt, and then passed to police for consideration on any action to be taken.  

Drivers can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seatbelt in addition to penalty points, and using a mobile phone while driving can result in a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points. 

The police forces taking part in the trial are: Durham, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley and Sussex. 

Ambitious strategy 

England’s motorways are already among the safest roads globally and National Highways has an ambitious strategy to further improve safety over the coming years.  

“We know that distracted driving and not wearing seatbelts were key factors in a high number of incidents that resulted in people being killed or seriously injured,” said National Highways’ Head of National Road User Safety Delivery, Matt Staton.  

“Working with our police partners, we want to reduce such dangerous driving and reduce the risks posed to both the drivers and other people. We believe that using technology like this will make people seriously consider their driving behaviour.  

“We will continue to invest in technology that could help make sure everyone using our roads gets home safe and well.” 

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Published On: 29/02/2024 14:00:00

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